Guide-sheave for hoisting apparatus.



No. 770,857. PATENTED' SEPT. 27, 1904.

' JLW. HOLLENBEG'K & W. E. PALMER.

GUIDE SHEAVE FOR HOISTING APPARATUS.

APPLIUATION FILED MAR. 5, 1904.

N0 MODEL.

WITNESSES.

ATTOH E) UNTTED STATES Patented September 2'7, 1904.

PATENT FFICE.

JAMES W. HOLLEN BECK AND WILLIAM E. PALMER, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

GUlDE-SHEAVE FOR HOISTING APPARATUS- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 770,857, dated September 2'7, 1904. Application filed March 5, 1904. Serial No. 196,676. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JAMES W. HOLLEN- BECK and WILLIAM E. PALMER, citizens of the United States, residing at the city and in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Guide-Sheaves for Hoisting Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to a guide-sheave for hoisting and like ropes and means for adjusting said sheave to the varying directions of travel of the ropes.

It consists in a support from which each sheave is suspended and about which it is turnable in conformity with varying movements of the rope and in details of construction which will be more fully explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the sheave and its hanger mounted in an appropriate framework. Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section of the sheave. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the arm, showing parts in section.

In the leading of hoisting-ropes such as are employed upon dredges and .for like purposes the movements of the parts to which the ropes lead are such that the direction of the rope is frequently changed between the winding-drum and its point of connection as, for illustration, in what are known as clam-shell dredgers, where the boom from which the bucket is suspended is constructed to swing from side to side.

It is the object of our invention to provide what is known as a gin or guiding-sheave, over which the rope passes, with a means for automatically adjusting it to the varying changes of the rope as it is caused to swing from side to side, this sheave being placed at some point between the winding-drum and the outer connections of the ropes. In the present case we have illustrated this device as applied to a dredging apparatus in which A is the float; B, any suitable framework from which portions of the machinery may be suspended. Upon the timbers 2 of this framework are fixed journal-boxes 3, so that they stand approximately in a line parallel with the line of the rope as it passes from the winding-drum 4. These journal-boxes support a Shaft 5, the ends of which are fitted and turnalole within the boxes. From this shaft depend the arms 6. In the present case the upper ends of the arms are bolted to the shaft contiguous to the inner ends of the journal-boxes, and they converge to a point sufficiently distant from the shaft so as to allow a free movement of the sheave 7, the shaft of which is journaled or turnable in the junction of the arms 6. As shown, there are two sets of these convergent arms, one upon each side of the rectangular portion of the shaft 5, and a pin 8 passes through the ends and serves as a bearing upon which the properly-formed bearing in the hub of the sheave is turnable. The rim of the sheave has a deep groove of such section as to receive the rope 9, which is designed to pass over the shaft, this rope leading, as before described, from the winding or equivalent drum 4: to the outer and elevated point from which it may connect with the bucket or other part to be hoisted.

10 is a counterweight of any suitable proportion adjustably fixed upon the arm or arms 11. This arm is here shown as being divided at the top of the shaft 5, and the forked portions extend down upon each side of the shaft to the center, to which the arms 6 converge, and the journal-pin upon which the wheel or sheave turns may pass through the ends of the forked arms, as well as through the arms 6, making a substantial bearing and support. The counterweight 10 serves to partially balance the weight of the sheave and to thus allow it to turn easily from one side to the other, as required by the varying positions of the rope.

The rope leads from the lower part of the winding-drum 4, as shown, over the top of thesheave, and the shaft 5, from which the sheave is suspended, is preferably substantially parallel with the line of travel of the rope. This shaft being easily turnable in its journal-boxes, it will be seen that any tendency of the rope to swing to one side or the other, caused by the exigencies of the apparatus at the outer end, will cause the sheave to turn the shaft. Thus the sheave will take any required angle and will readily adapt itself to the changed direction of the rope, thus causing the rope to travel fair in the groove of the sheave and prevent any tendency of the rope to ride up or cut against the sides of the groove. The counterweight assists in easily moving the sheave under comparatively light pressures, while the weight of the sheave is always sufficient to turn it to its normal position of suspension when relieved of any strain upon the rope.

Although we have herein described the swinging support of the sheave as a journaleol shaft, we do not limit ourselves to this speciiic structure, as it will be evident that other equivalent devices may be substituted which will provide a yielding and turnable support for the sheave and its journal-bearing.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patcut, is

1. The combination with a hoisting apparatus, of'a rope, means for driving said rope, a sheave over which said rope passes intermediate of its ends, boxes carrying a support which is turnable substantially parallel with and above the normal line of travel of the rope, convergent arms fixed to the support and a pin upon which the sheave is turnable.

2. The combination in a hoisting apparatus of a rope, a driving means therefor, a grooved sheave over which the rope passes intermediate of its ends, a support journaled and turnable in a line substantially parallel with the direction of travel of the rope, hangers from said shaft in which the sheave is turnable and a counterweight extending above the shaft.

3. The combination with a hoisting apparatus, of a grooved rope-carrying sheave, a shaft therefor above and parallel with the travel of the rope, and a counterbalanced hanger depending from the shaft said hanger turnable from side to side in planes substantially parallel with the line of travel of the rope and tending to automatically return to normal position.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES W. HOLLENBECK. WILLIAM E. PALMER.

' Witnesses:

M. V. KIRKETERP, S. H. NOURSE. 

